Blackguard
Blackguard is a Canadian folk/melodic death metal band from Montréal, Québec, formed in 2001. The members of the band include Justine Ethier, Terry Roadcase, Paul Ablaze and Louis Jacques. History Formation (2001–2008) Blackguard was formed in 2001 by guitarist Terry Roadcase and drummer Justine "Juice" Éthier as a straight-ahead black metal outfit. The Montreal-based sextet was originally named Profugus Mortis (Latin for "Death of a Refugee"). Blackguard was officially born with the addition of vocalist Paul Ablaze in October 2004, followed a month later by bassist Étienne Mailloux. Staying true to their black metal roots, the new Profugus Mortis turned their sights on a brutal new interpretation of Scandinavian folk metal. Blackguard issued a four-song self-produced demo in March 2005, passing them out for free at metal shows in Montreal. In July that same year, Profugus Mortis played the Xtreme Distortion Fest in Montreal with Kataklysm and Unexpect, winning the coveted slot as "Best Unsigned Band" at the event. This translated into a support slot with Sodom and Finntroll, which earned Profugus Mortis the opportunity to open for Yngwie Malmsteen at the request of Québec's Capital du Metal. Since then, Blackguard has supported and toured with numerous acts equally respected the world over, including Lacuna Coil, Catamenia, Warbringer, Behemoth, Therion, Into Eternity, Ensiferum, The Agonist, Cryptopsy, Krisiun, Voivod, Moonsorrow, Korpiklaani and Quo Vadis. Profugus Mortis' first professional recording was released in March 2007 and was named So It Begins. This was rather a collection of songs showcasing the band's past and their new direction. So It Begins became the best and fastest selling album in their label Prodisk's history. In January 2008, violinist Emilie Livernois was replaced by former Gotherfall guitarist Kim Gosselin. The band was signed to Nuclear Blast after being selected as the winners of the label's "MySpace Band Contest". Their first major label debut was entitled Profugus Mortis as a tribute to their past. Keyboardist Jonathan Lefrançois-Leduc left Blackguard in June 2010 after Hypocrisy's North American tour. On October 12, 2010, it was announced that Blackguard had switched from Nuclear Blast to Victory Records. Firefight (2009–2011) After touring for several months before the release of their next album, Firefight, they began selling pre-orders for the album, which was released on March 29, 2011 through Victory Records. During the subsequent tour for Firefight, the band announced the departure of guitarist Kim Gosselin and welcomed Louis Jacques to the band as his replacement. The band released this statement about it: "Unfortunately we must officially announce the departure of lead guitarist Kim Gosselin from Blackguard. For those of you who have seen us play during our last few tours this will not come as a shock seeing as Kim has been absent from the live lineup for quite some time." "Kim has decided not to continue with the band, and we'd like to thank him for his invaluable contribution to this group over the years. As hard as it is seeing a brother go, this is truly the best thing for both parties as Kim's interest in touring and writing have been waning over the last year. We wanted to wait until we had found a suitable replacement before making any official announcement and we're very happy to finally be able to let everyone in on what's going on."http://www.metalstorm.net/events/news_comments.php?news_id=17053 Members ;Current members *Paul "Ablaze" Zinay – lead vocals (2004–present) *Terry "Roadcase" Deschenes – rhythm guitar (2001–present) *Justine "Juice" Ethier – drums, percussion (2001–present) ;Former members *Louis Jacques (2012-2015) (lead Guitar) *Étienne Mailloux (2004–2013) – bass guitar *Kim Gosselin (2008–2012) – lead guitar *Jonathan Lefrançois-Leduc (2003–2010) – keyboards, synthesizers *Émilie Livernois (2003–2007) – violin, live growls *Alkin (François Auger) (2001–2004) - vocals *Mordred (2003–2004) – bass guitar ;Touring members *Erik Tisinger (2011) - touring lead guitar *Gabriel Guardian (2011–2012) – touring lead guitar Discography *''Profugus Mortis'' (2009) *''Firefight'' (2011) References External links *www.myspace.com/blackguard Category:Folk metal bands Category:Melodic death metal bands